'Grandparent Scam' Against West Caldwell Resident Foiled By Camden Man's Arrest

THE CALDWELLS, NJ — A scam popularly known as the "Grandparent Scam" failed to work on a West Caldwell resident, who got police involved last month.

In the scam, the perpetrator calls an unsuspecting person, often elderly, claiming to be a relative who's been arrested and needs money for a lawyer, or needs bail money.

The West Caldwell Police Department said that on Sept. 23, they received information that "a local resident was contacted via phone regarding posting several thousand dollars in bail money for a family member that was allegedly arrested after being involved in a motor vehicle crash."

The people involved determined that the relative was not involved in an accident.

Police conducted a surveillance operation and intercepted someone who attempted to pick up money at the resident’s address, the police said.

Police said that Shawn Nicks, 47, of Camden, was arrested when he drove to the home and "attempted to pick up a package containing money."

Police said that a search yielded evidence of drug distribution.

Nicks was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit theft by deception and one count of manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled dangerous substance.

He was taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility.

The Police Issued This Reminder:

• DO NOT give your personal information to anyone that you did not contact first.
• DO NOT pay anyone that calls you, emails you, or sends you a letter in the mail without verifying authenticity first.
• DO NOT purchase gift cards or pre-paid debit cards for anyone who calls you, emails you or sends you a letter.
• If a family member, a lawyer, a court officer, or any law enforcement agency calls you requesting money, call the West Caldwell Police Department FIRST. We will assist you in any way we can to verify the information. It is incredibly rare that anyone would be requesting cash or pre-paid cards for a valid reason.
• Please share these tips with vulnerable family members, neighbors, and friends.

"These scams are occurring in our area," the police said, "and sadly they are occasionally successful."

Recent Successful Scams

In North Jersey, residents have indeed lost as much as $9,000 in a scam like this one:

• A Summit resident gave $9,000 to a scammer who pulled up in a white van. The victim had gotten a call from someone claiming to be their grandson's lawyer, saying the grandson was in a county jail.
• A Westfield resident was bilked out of $10,000 by someone who phoned the person, claiming to be law enforcement. The caller was able to get bank information out of the victim. No further details were released.
• A Westfield resident sent information for a gift card to someone who contacted them after seeing their social media, claiming to be a cousin.

Internet and phone scams are on the rise in New Jersey. In the Garden State, 124,856 people fell victim to reported online scams in 2020, a 28 percent increase from the 97,705 reported in 2019. READ MORE: Internet Scams See Uptick In New Jersey

Read more about the grandparent scam at the Federal Trade Commission website here.